1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lock-type disposal safe surgical scalpel, more particularly, to a sheath-type scalpel having a plastic handle or a steel handle and including a disposal safe locking mechanism in which the sheath can be pushed to its deadlocked position after use of the scalpel so that reuse of the scalpel is prohibited.
2. Background Art
A scalpel as a surgical apparatus is widely used in surgical operations. With the rapid progress of the medical treatment, the problems of the safety of the scalpel are of much more concern at the present time. In view of the safety of the surgical scalpels, it is preferably advantageous to employ disposal safe scalpels. The disposal scalpels available nowadays, however, can be reused due to the deficiency of its configuration. As a result, such a scalpel may not be a safe surgical scalpel in a strict sense.
The Utility Model Patent No. CN 03220343.8 filled on Mar. 10, 2003 by the present applicant, has disclosed a slidable-sheath-type self-locking safe scalpel. The Utility Model has been made to solve the safety problem incurred from the blade of a conventional scalpel whose blade is configured to be exposed outside. More specifically, on one hand, medical treatment personnel may be hurt by a conventional scalpel when it is transferred during a surgical operation and a hazard of infectious diseases may subsequently occur. On the other hand, the safety problem remains after the scalpel is disposed of because the blade of the scalpel is exposed outside without protective means. As apparent from the above, the problem that it can be reused has not been solved in the conventional disposal scalpel. In fact, the sheath of the scalpel is opened prior to use and closed after use, however, the scalpel with this configuration can be opened again and reused.